


Lycoris Radiata

by egomania



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Hitman Minho, Host Hyunjin, I‘ll update tags as I go, Killer For Hire meets Host who knows too much, M/M, Mentions of Sex, Murder, Violence, who knows - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:41:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26755978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/egomania/pseuds/egomania
Summary: „If you speak a single word about anything that happened in this room, you will find this knife between your eyes faster than you can say Cupid‘s Bow,“He began, fingertips digging into the skin of the host‘s cheeks as he held him by the chin in a pseudo-choke.„As long as you‘re useful, you can continue to live your life as you please, shibari boy.“„Hyunjin! I mean, yeah, of course, alright. I got it. I‘ll be at your beck and call whenever you need information. You can also call me for other things, though.“Hyunjin winked at him, and Minho knew that he had made a mistake.——In which a killer for hire is sent to get rid of a shady businessman, but finds him tied up in a hotel room instead, along with a host with the sweetest laugh he has ever heard. Follow the partnership of Minho and Hyunjin as they delve into the secret side of Seoul City, along with the mysteries hidden beneath their hearts.
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first fanfiction for stray kids, so please have mercy on me. loose inspirations for this story have been hotline miami and love shore, along with „wow“ by danceracha. 🥰 
> 
> this chapter includes a murder scene, although it happens fairly quickly. the story will get darker as it progressed, so for the faint of heart ... please stop here. feedback is always appreciated, of course!

„Would you like another drink, sir?“

„No, thanks.“

The hostess seemed displeased by his response, but she held her tongue when it came to voicing her emotions. Lee Minho was not someone who usually frequented establishments like this one: a host club by the name of Cupid‘s Bow, offering male and female staff to tend to their guests while serving overpriced alcohol along with their sweet words. In more ways than one, it was reminiscent of a nightclub; while there was no dance-floor, the lighting was dim at best, neon signs of pink, purple, and blue turning into a synthetic gradient that faintly enlightened the rather futuristic interior. If he had drunken anything more than the singular glass of champagne she had offered him when he arrived, he would have had difficulty seeing anything inside ... but Minho had a purpose, and he could not afford to make careless mistakes.

——

Find Kim Byungjoon and eliminate him, along with any eyewitnesses. Your payment will be deposited in the same bank account as the one used during your previous mission. Good luck. 

——

He had found this message in Locker 536 at his local gym, accompanied by a peculiar venetian mask, depicting the visage of a black cat. Was that supposed to be his disguise? Minho raised an eyebrow at the mask, mild disdain apparent upon handsome features. He adored cats, don‘t get him wrong, but this mask would attract a lot more attention than if he did not use it. With no intention to disguise himself like that, he stuffed the note and the mask into his bag nonetheless, going home to begin research on his newest target. It was a hassle to go to the deepest corners of the city in order to receive missions from his higher-ups, but neither he nor them could afford to get caught in their endeavors. Minho was too good at his job to be treated as disposable, so it was an equally beneficial relationship of give and take. 

He did not know too much about his employers; they seemed to be an organization, if one could call them that, by the name of God‘s Menu, and he got rid of whoever seemed to pose a threat to them. He did not know the criteria for how „threats“ were determined by them, but he did not care about their reasoning, nor their goals. For all he knows, they could be a terrorist organization, but it did not matter to him as long as he received his payment on time. That kind of curiosity was dangerous in his line of work, and could cost one an arm and a leg at best, and their entire life at worst. It was a risk he was not willing to take, despite every single mission he was given being a risky act in itself. As odd as it sounded, even a killer for hire had his own set of limitations. 

The sound of a faint laugh made him snap out of his momentary train of thought, his dark gaze arose to look at the source. It was a young male with light hair (the exact color was unbeknownst to him, due to the colorful lighting of the club), hands curled around the upper arm of none other than Kim Byungjoon himself. His target was a businessman in his early 40s, head full of black hair implants while wrinkles were apparent upon his aged face. There had been rumors about him frequenting this host club, but Minho did not expect the „hostess“ he was presumed to visit to be a man. Digits arose to bring his glass towards his mouth, the last sip of his champagne warming his throat as he watched the couple intently. 

Mere moments after they left, he rose from his seat as well. Pale fingers dug into the depths of his pockets to leave a bundle of cash upon the table for the hostess who had served him, leaving a dumbfounded woman with a lot more money than what he had to pay within her grasp. Thankfully, he had not lost sight of them for the few seconds he gave them to step out. Minho had spotted his target and his companion almost immediately, noting the light pink hue upon the younger male‘s hair. So that‘s what color it was. He kept a safe distance between himself and the couple; it seemed like they were going to go to whatever destination they had in mind by foot, which was favorable for Minho. He easily blended into the crowd with his plain black hair, a panther that tailed its prey in this concrete jungle. 

They disappeared from his sight when they took a sharp turn to the left, disappearing into a building. Minho took a halt, stopping in front of a large neon sign that read HONEY LOVE HOTEL. Although he let out a small sigh, he did not hesitate to step into the hotel, sharp eyes following the couple. Due to the privacy of these kind of establishments, there was nobody present at the lobby, payments for the rooms were entirely done digitally. This was too convenient. Brushing past the entrance area, he was careful to keep himself concealed behind walls, since he did not have the protection of a crowd in here. Muffled sounds coming from the rooms around him grazed his ears, but he simply ignored them, focusing on the task at hand. Once they entered a room, Minho began to wait outside.

As much as he would like to avoid seeing anything unpleasant, it was easiest to catch someone off-guard while they were otherwise occupied. Thus, he had to hope that whatever it was that his target and the host boy would do would begin fast, so that he did not have to wait outside their door for too long. While mentally skimming through his list of weapons he had on hand (which consisted of at least two knives, brass knuckles, and a last resort handgun with a silencer attached to it), Minho‘s gaze twitched as he heard light moans from beyond the door. Slipping one of the knives out of its holder, he took a deep breath before opening the door, exposed to a sight he had certainly not expected, the least bit. 

„Were you gonna bust us mid-fuck? That‘s nasty.“

Atop the bed sat the pink-haired male, his torso leaned forward, with both of his elbows placed upon the head of no one other than his target, who was thoroughly tied up with a red rope, his mouth stuffed with what seemed to be a Hello Kitty sock. Minho‘s gaze briefly wandered towards the boy‘s singular naked foot, before glancing back at his visage. He must have looked puzzled, because the other began to laugh suddenly, his gentle giggle not only contrasting the lascivious interior of the hotel room, but also the roughed-up businessman upon the carpeted floor. Once he was over his initial shock, Minho slowly closed the door behind him, stepping forward to finish what he intended to do. This was unexpected, yes, but surprises had never stopped him from finishing a mission. 

„You‘re not gonna say anything? You followed us all the way here from Cupid‘s Bow and you‘re not going to ask a single question?“ 

„Nope.“

For the first time tonight, the corners of Minho‘s lips curled up into something akin to a small grin, his short response making the boy laugh once again, even when Minho had a knife in his hand. He did not seem to grasp the severity of the situation; either he was incredibly dumb, incredibly naïve, or he had something else up his sleeve. Soon enough, Minho would find out. Amidst the echoing laughter of the host, Minho twirled his knife between his fingers, ramming it into the middle of Kim Byungjoon‘s forehead, blood bursting from the wound like a spider lily in bloom. The boy seemed surprised by his sudden action, for he fell backwards onto the light satin sheets of the bed. The lifeless body of his target stood still for a few moments, before falling to the side with a thud. 

Perhaps being in a love hotel was not so inconvenient in terms of sounds being made.

„I don‘t know why you did that, but I‘m not involved with him!“ The host stammered, finally aware of the situation he was in. „I was just gonna fuck around and rob him when I noticed you were following him. Thought you were a bodyguard or something, but you tried really hard to stay hidden so it started getting suspicious — You did a good job though, he didn‘t notice anything!“ He raised his hands, as if to surrender to police, but Minho was no such thing. He did not care for laws, nor did he care for the system. All that mattered to him was the completion of his missions, and receiving payment according to that. The loose mouth of a common host was the last thing that mattered to him. 

Regardless, he could not help but say, „I have no reason to keep you alive. In fact, I was actively told not to leave any living eyewitnesses behind. What are you going to do about that, shibari boy?“ Minho was calm as he awaited his response. „My name is Hyunjin, and I mess with a lot more people than just this guy. A lot of high profile people, men and women. They seem to like me a lot, and humans spill a lot of secrets during moments of intimacy.“ Contemplation became visible upon the hitman‘s features. How trustworthy could information provided by a host be? He had his doubts about this matter, but oddly enough, Minho did not feel like killing anyone else tonight. Thus, he stepped closer to the bed, crawling over the railing to hover above Hyunjin.

„If you speak a single word about anything that happened in this room, you will find this knife between your eyes faster than you can say Cupid‘s Bow,“

He began, fingertips digging into the skin of the host‘s cheeks as he held him by the chin in a pseudo-choke. 

„As long as you‘re useful, you can continue to live your life as you please, shibari boy.“

„Hyunjin! I mean, yeah, of course, alright. I got it. I‘ll be at your beck and call whenever you need information. You can also call me for other things, though.“ 

Hyunjin winked at him, and Minho knew that he had made a mistake.


	2. Chapter 2

A sigh escaped Minho‘s mouth as he entered his apartment, a fancy home atop one of the many high buildings that formed the skyline of Gangnam. He was instantly greeted by a series of meows, which made him quickly shut the door behind him so none of his cats would even think of slipping out. Leaning down, he gave each of his three cats a light pet on their heads as a greeting; one accepted the affection sweetly, the other accepted it begrudgingly, while the last one straight-up moved its head to the side to avoid his touch, before moving towards him and rubbing its furred bodice against his clothed leg. Once his greetings were given, Minho was quick to change his garments, slipping into a more comfortable set of clothes. 

He spotted a few droplets of blood on the sleeve of his jacket, so he swiftly made his way to the bathroom, lathering the fabric in hydrogen peroxide to get rid of the bloodstains. Taking a brief look at the clock, he noted that it was time to give the cats their midnight snack, so he quickly filled their bowls with portions of wet food before throwing himself onto the nearest couch, finally allowing himself to wallow in his fatigue. Today had been quite eventful: not because he had killed someone in a love hotel, but because he had let an eyewitness live. If he was going to be so worried about the existence of someone who knew of his crime, why did he not just take the easy way out and kill them, too? 

Minho let out another sigh, staring at the phone number he was given, scribbled upon a torn piece of notebook paper. ‚Hyunjin, Not Shibari Boy!‘, it said, along with the numbers. He said he would provide information to him in exchange for his safety, but how much exactly did Hyunjin know, and how much could he coerce out of the mouths of his clients? Minho pondered for a while, but the growing headache that pounded against the sides of his forehead made him momentarily stop thinking, his eyes feeling heavy. He may have made a mistake, but he could always correct it tomorrow. For today, all he wanted to do was to rest, since he was too tired to even drag himself to the shower. Tomorrow. It could all be done tomorrow. 

After a dreamless night, Minho awoke with the feeling of something heavy upon his torso. He had fallen asleep on the couch, and one of his cats stared right at his face, seemingly sniffing on the skin of his cheek. „Good morning, Dori,“ he slurred, his words followed by a light yawn. As soon as he began to move, Dori hopped off his body, which gave Minho an opportunity to stretch out his limbs, a small cracking sound coming from his back making him groan quietly before he arose from his couch. With his eyes partially open, he slowly made his way towards the bathroom, quickly stripping his pyjamas off and entering the shower cabin. A stream of cold water hit him, making him shiver while his hand fumbled with the temperature control, turning the water lukewarm. 

The warmth soothed his stiff muscles, making him relax and momentarily washing all of his troubles away. If only every moment could be like this, Minho thought, but he knew such a thought was futile. Thus, he decided to bask in his momentary relaxation, simply soaking in the warm water for about ten minutes before beginning to shampoo his hair and scrub his body. Once everything was rinsed off, Minho stepped out of the shower, continuing his morning ritual in the bathroom by brushing his teeth and washing his face, before finally stepping out. He briefly checked his phone. No messages, it said, and he was more than fine with that. If today was a free day, then he could spend some time at home as Lee Minho, the homebody with the three cats and not Lee Minho, the killer for hire. 

Grabbing a bowl of cereal, he sat down onto the sofa near the TV, turning it on to watch the news. Did they report anything about yesterday‘s mission yet? He skimmed through different channels, but nobody seemed to talk about the death of a businessman yet. It was understandable, after all. An influential man was found dead in a love hotel; his presence in such an establishment was a scandal in itself when he had a wife at home, so the police must have tried their hardest to keep the information under wraps. His mind went to Hyunjin, who was the last person seen with Kim Byungjoon. Would they accuse him of committing the murder? They definitely would, would they not? What if he cracked and sold Minho out? 

The more he thought about it, the more he regretted letting him live. Right at that moment, his phone began to ring, vibrating against the table it remained upon as a familiar name flashed on the screen. What great timing, Minho thought before picking it up. „Hey, babe,“ Hyunjin began to speak, the tone of his voice sounded whimsical, but Minho saw right through it. „Yes?“ He answered, and the other continued to speak, „I really miss you. Can we see each other?“ Minho was puzzled by this behavior, but he assumed that Hyunjin was being watched, so he simply played along. „Of course. Where do you want to meet?“ Receiving the address of a café, Minho ended the call afterwards, his expression stern. 

If Hyunjin was calling him so early in the morning, something must have happened, no? 

Without wasting any more time, he quickly began to prepare himself for the meeting they had arranged. He still had an hour, but Minho was swift to change into a more classy set of clothes, consisting of a black turtleneck sweater and a pair of navy blue jeans. Once he had fed his cats for the morning and said his goodbyes, he grabbed a long, beige trenchcoat from the coat rack, slipped into his black ankle boots, and stepped out of his apartment. The cold breeze of early autumn hit him right in the visage, making strands of short, black hair sway slightly as he stepped forward, checking the location of the café he was summoned to on his phone before calling for a taxi. 

The drive took about twenty minutes, and he already spotted Hyunjin inside the cozy-looking café as he exited the taxi, walking into Hyelim‘s Coffee Shop with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his coat. The interior of the place was quite rustic, and yet it had a comfortable air. The walls were decorated with paintings one would find at the house of their grandma, while the seats all had cream-colored cushions placed upon them. The tables, seemingly made of white wood from tulip trees, were decorated with white table runners that had images of potted plants printed upon them, while glass vases, filled with a singular white chrysanthemum on each table, remained atop. He certainly did not expect a flamboyant personality like Hyunjin to frequent a place like this, but then again, he barely knew anything about the boy. 

„Hey, honey.“ 

Hyunjin greeted him with a smile, but the light hue of red below his eyes made it clear that he must not have slept well ... or perhaps he was woken up early. Once Minho sat down and the waiter took his order (a Latte Macchiato), he glanced over at the pink-haired male again. As soon as the waiter was out of hearing range, Hyunjin‘s expression began to falter, something akin to fear becoming visible upon his delicate features. „The cops showed up at my house this morning,“ He began to explain, his voice surprisingly calm despite the face he had shown just moments before. „I could get them off my back because my roommate vouched for me, said that I came home early from my ‚date‘ with Kim Byungjoon and spent time with him. I think they‘re still going to watch me, though.“ 

„I see.“ Minho responded after a few moments, letting Hyunjin‘s words course through his head once again. They knew he went inside the hotel with him, but Hyunjin gave an excuse by using his roommate as an alibi. That gave the police no choice but to let him go for now, but it made sense that they would still continue to watch him incase he behaved suspiciously otherwise. With the way Hyunjin was acting, torn between being calm about not getting caught and in fear over eventually being detained, Minho did not think that he should leave him alone. If he killed Hyunjin now, it would only be odd, since Hyunjin was a possible suspect. He had no intention of getting onto the police‘s radar, so Minho leaned forward, his hand placing itself atop the other‘s, incase they really were being watched. 

„Try not to act suspicious for the next few days. Just go to work normally and don‘t meet up privately with customers.“ 

„You think that‘s going to work?“

„They can‘t arrest you since you have an alibi, so you should be fine as long as you don‘t behave in a way that makes them wonder about your intentions.“ 

„So I‘m laying low?“

„Yes.“ 

„Can I still go to clubs?“ 

„I—“ Minho was momentarily speechless. Hyunjin was being accused of murder, and the first thing he wondered about was whether he could go clubbing? He almost facepalmed, but he refrained himself from doing so, falling quiet as soon as the waiter came their way with his order. He thanked him briefly as the cup was set down in front of him, two fingers wrapping around the handle as he raised it, slurping on the hot beverage while staring at Hyunjin. Hyunjin seemed quiet, fork in hand as he mindlessly poked the raspberry cheesecake (who even eats cake at 11 AM?) he had ordered prior to Minho‘s arrival, tension high in the air. Minho really should have killed him, but he almost looked pathetic sitting there, his plump lips forming a small pout before he raised the fork, stuffing a piece of his dessert into his mouth. 

„... Whatever. Do what you want. Just ... be careful. Okay?“ 

„Can I call you when I need help?“

His request surprised Minho, but he was already too involved in this to distance himself.

„... Yeah.“


End file.
